Two centuries of the Russian classics Two centuries of the Russian classics 2686-7494 IWL RAS https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2026-8-2-94-117 Research Article Articles Colonel Skalozub: Historical Realities in A. S. Griboyedov’s Comedy “Woe from Wit” Nazarenko Kirill B. red@rusklassika.ru 25 06 2026 8 2 94 117 A. S. Griboyedov “Woe from Wit ” Colonel Skalozub historical realities officer army everyday life Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS 2026 This article analyzes A. S. Griboyedov’s description of the hero of the comedy, Colonel Skalozub, in “Woe from Wit.” To properly understand these descriptions, they must be placed in their historical context. The article examines the colonel’s surname, first name, and financial status, as well as the key milestones of his career, including his combat experience, awards, and behavior. Drawing on research into comedy and the everyday history of the 1820s, the author concludes that Colonel Skalozub is not a romanticized image of a military man, performing endless feats, showered with awards, brilliant, and witty. He is a real-life army officer of Griboyedov’s era, devoid of education and lacking any desire for it, toiling away at the burden of military service in the provinces. He was fortunate to survive the battles of 1809–1814, advance in the ranks, and continue a successful career in peacetime. 1. “Vek nyneshnii i vek minuvshii…”: Komediia A. S. Griboedova “Gore ot uma” v russkoi kritike i literaturovedenii [“The Present Century and the Past Century...”: A. S. Griboyedov’s Comedy “Woe from Wit” in Russian Criticism and Literary Studies]. St. Petersburg, Azbuka-klassika Publ., 2002. 448 p. (In Russ.) 2. Glinka, V. M. Pushkin i Voennaia galereia Zimnego dvortsa [Pushkin and the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace]. Leningrad, Lenizdat Publ., 1988. 238 p. (In Russ.) 3. Zvegintsov, V. V. Russkaia armiia. Chast’ 4 (1801–1825) [The Russian Army. Part 4 (1801–1825)]. Paris, [s. n.], 1973. 189 p. (In Russ.) 4. Kalashnikov, S. B. “ʽ…Vo vtornik zvan ia na foreli’: o vremeni deistviia komedii A. S. Griboedova ʽGore ot uma’.” [“ʽ...On Tuesday I’m Invited to the Trout Party’: On the Setting of A. S. Griboyedov’s Comedy ‘Woe from Wit’”]. Vestnik volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta, series 8, issue 7, 2008, pp. 131–137. (In Russ.) 5. Lapin, V. V. Armiia Rossii v Kavkazskoi voine XVIII–XIX vv. [The Russian Army in the Caucasian War of the 18th–19th Centuries]. St. Petersburg, Evropeiskii dom Publ., 2008. 400 p. (In Russ.) 6. Nechkina, M. V. Griboedov i dekabristy [Griboyedov and the Decembrists]. Moscow, Academy of the Sciences of the Soviet Union Publ., 1951. 623 p. (In Russ.) 7. Piksanov, N. K. Tvorcheskaia istoriia “Goria ot uma” [The Creative History of “Woe from Wit”]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1971. 399 p. (In Russ.) 8. Spasskii, I. G. Inostrannye i russkie ordena do 1917 g. [Foreign and Russian Orders before 1917]. Leningrad, State Hermitage Museum Publ., 1963. 195 p. (In Russ.) 9. Tereshkina, D. B. “ʽGde, ukazhite nam, otechestva ottsy?’ (Mineinyi kod v sisteme personazhei komedii A. S. Griboedova ‘Gore ot uma’)” [“ʽWhere, Show Us, Are the Fathers of the Fatherland?’ (Menaion Code in the Character System of A. S. Griboyedov’s Comedy ‘Woe from Wit’)”]. Kul’tura i tekst, no. 2, 2013, pp. 117–125. (In Russ.) 10. Ulianov, I. E. Reguliarnaia pekhota. 1801–1855 [Regular Infantry. 1801–1855]. Moscow, AST Publ., 1997. 248 p. (In Russ.) 11. Fukson, L. Iu. “Eshche raz o smysle nazvaniia ʽGore ot uma’.” [“Once Again on the Meaning of the Title ʽWoe from Wit’.”]. Gumanitarnye nauki v Sibiri, no. 4, 2001, pp. 8–12. (In Russ.) 12. Khudozhnik Lev Ivanovich Kil’ [Artist: Lev Ivanovich Kiel]. Moscow, Kuchkovo pole, Muzeon Publ., 2020. 263 p. (In Russ.) 13. Tselorungo, D. G. “Formuliarnye spiski ofitserskogo korpusa russkoi armii epokhi Otechestvennoi voiny 1812 g.” [“Service Lists of the Officer Corps of the Russian Army during the Patriotic War of 1812”]. Issledovaniia po istochnikovedeniiu istorii SSSR dooktiabr’skogo perioda [Research in Source Studies of the Pre-October History of the Soviet Union]. Moscow, Institute of History of the Soviet Union of AS SU Publ., 1990, pp. 115–131. (In Russ.) 14. Sheviakov, T. N. “Poteri znamen i shtandartov Rossiiskoi Imperatorskoi armii v 1799–1917 gg.” [“Losses of Banners and Standards of the Russian Imperial Army in 1799–1917”]. Elektronnaia nauchno-istoricheskaia biblioteka “Gerboved.ru” [Scientific and Historical Library “Gerboved.ru”]. Available at: https://gerboved.ru/t/2725 (Accessed 13 November 2024). (In Russ.) 15. Masters, John. Casanova. London, Michael Joseph Publ., 1969. 302 p. (In English)